One of the issues Jean and I had to work out when we took up cohabitation was which fruit to put in the refrigerator. Though we both agreed that tomatoes, bananas and stone fruit should remain at room temperature unless they were in imminent danger of spoilage, I favored the refrigeration of apples, melons, berries and pineapple whereas Jean didn't. We have reached a compromise where the berries and melons go into the fridge, but still disagree about the apples and pineapple. So, what fruit do you put into the fridge? Has it been an issue in your household?

I refrigerate almost all fruit unless something needs additional ripening, like a melon. Once a melon's ripe enough, though, it's in the fridge. The only exception would be strawberries, which I find degrade with chilling. I grew up in hot Southern California where both preventing further ripening (apples, stone fruit, most other berries) and the refreshment of chilled fruit both made sense. I live in a cooler climate now but haven't changed my opinion. Still like cold fruit.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

Bananas and tomatoes stay out of the fridge. If I am using the banana for making bread and it has fully ripened, I put it in the frifge to hold. My garden tomatoes and heirlooms I buy from the Farmer's Market stay out. When I see tomatoes just starting to wrinkle, I put them aside for making my roasted tomato sauce and paste, which I do within a couple of days. Store bought avocados need to ripen a few days on the counter but as soon as that happens they go in. We like our fruit cold in the morning for breakfast. That includes avocados. I like them cold with coarse sea salt and a drizzle of balsamic.

So far no one's outright said no, though I do have a friend who would answer that way. The only thing she'd make an exception for is fruit that has been peeled, cut up. THEN it would go in refrigerator, but not before that.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

Rahsaan wrote:I don't see how you could not refrigerate apples. They're so much better when crisp.

For some strange reason, I'm not a big fan of apples. I like just about every other kind of fruit, but apples don't appeal to me. That's why this thought probably didn't occur to me one way or another.

I'm thinking of apple stands along country roads in the summer and autumn, though: They display them in bushel baskets, un-refrigerated. And the grocery doesn't keep them in cooler bins.

I can see keeping berries chilled - come to think of it, we do that. But I'm with Rahsaan and others on peaches, as well as pears and figs and just about any other fruit I can think of. Keep 'em out. They also make great still lifes. And who doesn't like ripe?

Thanks for all the input so far, not that I expect any of it to sway Jean one iota on her positions. It does arm with me with the warm glow of self-righteousness, though, which is the next best thing, innit? One result that interests me is that no one refrigerates pineapple. Is that because no one purchases it? I ask this because pineapple, along with the berries apart from strawberry, is unique among fruit in having no store of starch, and so is incapable of ripening once picked. (This is the major reason why pineapple is so much better in Hawaii)

Mark Lipton wrote:Thanks for all the input so far, not that I expect any of it to sway Jean one iota on her positions. It does arm with me with the warm glow of self-righteousness, though, which is the next best thing, innit? One result that interests me is that no one refrigerates pineapple. Is that because no one purchases it? I ask this because pineapple, along with the berries apart from strawberry, is unique among fruit in having no store of starch, and so is incapable of ripening once picked. (This is the major reason why pineapple is so much better in Hawaii)

Mark Lipton

Actually, I don't think it's safe to assume no one refrigerates pineapple. Based on the way your question was set up, by checking All I didn't then check any of the individual items that followed. When I bring one home, I peel and chunk it within a few days. The result ends up in refrigerator.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

Mark Lipton wrote:TOne result that interests me is that no one refrigerates pineapple. Is that because no one purchases it? I ask this because pineapple, along with the berries apart from strawberry, is unique among fruit in having no store of starch, and so is incapable of ripening once picked.

Interesting. But it still changes quite a bit when left out on the kitchen counter for several days! We've been buying pineapple every week since late spring because even with all the better local fruit available, our 2 year old son actively wants to eat pineapple so we'll take what we can get. And so we often put it in the refrigerator to slow the decay.

That said, pristine specimens are clearly more special when warm. Like with wine, coldness mutes flavor.

Rahsaan wrote:I don't see how you could not refrigerate apples. They're so much better when crisp.

For some strange reason, I'm not a big fan of apples. I like just about every other kind of fruit, but apples don't appeal to me. That's why this thought probably didn't occur to me one way or another.

I'm thinking of apple stands along country roads in the summer and autumn, though: They display them in bushel baskets, un-refrigerated. And the grocery doesn't keep them in cooler bins.

I agree, I'm not a huge fan of apples either, and I think we've had this discussion before.

But you may be right, I suppose it comes down to taste preferences. I just really detest mealy apples so I need them to be cool. Plus there's not that much flavor there anyway to be muted by the cooler temperatures.

Clarifications for Mark: I did not mention either tomatoes or pineapples. Both would go in the fridge. Both, as with all the others (except citrus), are allowed to warm up a good bit before being eaten. (Not quite back to room temp but not fridge cool.)

Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote: I did not mention either tomatoes or pineapples. Both would go in the fridge.

For what it's worth, Alton Brown declares it an abomination to refrigerate tomatoes. Apparently it turns off the flavor molecule generators or something.

Alton Brown wrote:Now when you get them home, don't keep them in direct sunlight, okay, no matter how pretty they look. Oh, and never put them in the refrigerator, okay? If they drop below 50 degrees a flavor compound called (Z)-3-dexenal is just going to flip itself off like a chemical switch ... permanently.

Jenise wrote:Actually, I don't think it's safe to assume no one refrigerates pineapple. Based on the way your question was set up, by checking All I didn't then check any of the individual items that followed. When I bring one home, I peel and chunk it within a few days. The result ends up in refrigerator.

Alton Brown wrote:Now when you get them home, don't keep them in direct sunlight, okay, no matter how pretty they look. Oh, and never put them in the refrigerator, okay? If they drop below 50 degrees a flavor compound called (Z)-3-dexenal is just going to flip itself off like a chemical switch ... permanently.

Alton Brown wrote:Now when you get them home, don't keep them in direct sunlight, okay, no matter how pretty they look. Oh, and never put them in the refrigerator, okay? If they drop below 50 degrees a flavor compound called (Z)-3-dexenal is just going to flip itself off like a chemical switch ... permanently.

Science aside (can you believe that I'm typing that?), don't you find that the flavor of a ripe tomato is irreparably harmed by refrigeration? My empirical experience (now THAT's scientific!) is that perfectly lovely tomatoes taken from the fridge and warmed to RT fail to regain their former savory goodness. Do your experiences differ, Jeff?

Mark Lipton wrote:Science aside (can you believe that I'm typing that?), don't you find that the flavor of a ripe tomato is irreparably harmed by refrigeration? My empirical experience (now THAT's scientific!) is that perfectly lovely tomatoes taken from the fridge and warmed to RT fail to regain their former savory goodness. Do your experiences differ, Jeff?

It has been a while since I have done any side-by-side comparisons. I suppose, given all this bluster, I will have to make an effort.

The reason I am generally cavalier about this topic is that I do not expect to enjoy supermarket tomatoes, only the greenmarket ones. But those generally come to me so very fully ripe that I must refrigerate them in order to keep them a day or three till I can get to them all.

( By way of which, I had heirlooms on Monday and tonight. On both nights, the toms came from the fridge and were served caprese. Monday's were a single large Striped German and a passel of Green Zebras; tonight's were a single large Brandywine and a passel of Green Zebras. The GZs always taste good; the others not so much, but I attribute that to my preference for higher acidity. )

Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:( By way of which, I had heirlooms on Monday and tonight. On both nights, the toms came from the fridge and were served caprese. Monday's were a single large Striped German and a passel of Green Zebras; tonight's were a single large Brandywine and a passel of Green Zebras. The GZs always taste good; the others not so much, but I attribute that to my preference for higher acidity. )

I know what you mean. Brandywines are kind of the Grenache of the tomato world, whereas GZs are the Muscadet of said world.